Simpedia

Neil Moore

I have had this happen a number of times. Firstly, to state the obvious, being away for two and a half months (10 or 11 lessons) opens up a very significant gap in the student’s place within the group. When a student is in the early stages of the program, being away for so long puts them at a very significant disadvantage, particularly given that you would in all likelihood have multiple streams occurring simultaneously – foundation, accompaniment and reading. There are several options available.

Option 1: Let him go straight back into the group when he returns. The upside of this is that he’s back with the people he’s familiar with, and back into the time slot the family have organized themselves around. The downside is that he’s extremely far behind, and as such, creates a measurable drain on the progress of the group. I think this is an inappropriate option.

Option 2: He moves into Private Lessons. The downside of this is that it’s usually more expensive, it might be at a time that is not convenient, and he is no longer around familiar people nor benefiting from the dynamics of group learning. The upside is that you can tailor his lessons according to his precise place within the program. Also, if he works hard, and progresses more quickly than the group’s rate of progress, he can always rejoin the group at a much later stage. I’ve found that after missing 10 lessons, and knowing that the group continues to move forward each week, it usually takes a dedicated student about 25 lessons to fully catch up.

Option 3: Have him do 2 private lessons per week. Downside is that this obviously requires a significantly increased practice schedule, and he would need to continue to do this until such time as he had caught up with the group. It’s also costly! The upside, and this can only work successfully if everybody is on board and willing to invest more time, effort and money, is that he integrates into the group more quickly. This also has the added side benefit of him entering the group after having established a more disciplined practice schedule, and this schedule often continues after rejoining the group. In fact, it can spur on the whole group if handled well.

Option 4: Similar to the above, he does a combination of one Group and one Private Lesson each week. He would need to agree to do this for as long as was needed until he had been brought up to speed with the rest of the group. Downside is that this takes more management on behalf of the teacher. The student is working, simultaneously, at two different levels, and being obviously behind, the student has to manage their own psychology in order to not be discouraged. The upside is that he’s back in the group, and if his mindset is well managed, can integrate the ‘missed material’ with the ‘new material’ in at least an acceptable fashion. Of all of these, Option 2 is obviously workable however the student is no longer part of the group. If the family is committed to him remaining in the group, then I like Options 3 or 4.